CA For The Arts

?Introducing Sabereh Kashi, 2024 Grassroots Arts Advocacy Program Fellow. Sabereh Kashi is a documentary filmmaker, editor, and cultural strategist committed to bridging diverse communities through intimate, personal storytelling. Her films have appeared on PBS, BBC, and other international networks and have screened at major festivals like IDFA, Hot Docs, and UNAFF. Her recent short documentary, I’m Oakland, follows an African-American woman's efforts to preserve her home and legacy amidst rapid gentrification. Her directorial debut, Lalezar Street (2000), premiered at the Fajr International Film Festival. From 2008-2016, she directed a web series profiling Iranian immigrant artists in North America. Kashi co-wrote and edited Our Summer in Tehran (2011), an anti-war documentary on a Jewish American mother and her son meeting Iranian families, which aired on PBS and international networks. Her editing work also includes Surviving International Boulevard, an award-winning short on child sex trafficking in Oakland, and she served as a staff editor at MTV Canada. Currently, Kashi is directing The Patient Woman, a feature documentary tracing her search for home between Iran and America. Her work has earned support from the Center for Cultural Innovation, the Berkeley Film Foundation, and NATAS. In 2016, she co-founded Re-Present Media, a nonprofit supporting documentaries from underrepresented communities. The Grassroots Arts Advocacy Program (GAAP) is a cohort-based fellowship program for artist advocates who directly engage in advocacy and policy development to advance the holistic well-being of the field. GAAP is funded by The Kenneth Rainin Foundation.? Learn more at caforthearts.org/gaap.

?Introducing J.K Fowler, 2024 Grassroots Arts Advocacy Program Fellow. J. K. Fowler is the current Executive Director of the Bay Area Book Festival, Policy Analyst and Special Programs/Community Outreach with BAMBD, CDC, and Operations Support for APEN and APEN Action. Previously, he founded and ran Nomadic Press, a community-rooted publishing house headquartered in Oakland and sat on Oakland's Cultural Affairs Commission, during which time he helped launch the Oakland Poet Laureate Program. He is currently most interested in the intersections of civic bodies, private development, arts organizations, and community benefits agreements that can help to ensure artist and arts organization retention in the cities that they love and support. The Grassroots Arts Advocacy Program (GAAP) is a cohort-based fellowship program for artist advocates who directly engage in advocacy and policy development to advance the holistic well-being of the field. GAAP is funded by The Kenneth Rainin Foundation.? Learn more at caforthearts.org/gaap.

CA for the Arts is proud to announce the five members of the inaugural Grassroots Artists Advocacy Program (GAAP) cohort. GAAP is a cohort-based fellowship program that supports diverse San Francisco and Oakland artists and culture bearers to directly engage in advocacy and policy development with the goal of improving conditions for artists and culture bearers to thrive. GAAP centers artists in grassroots advocacy efforts and cultivates greater support for arts advocates statewide. This innovative program establishes a partnership between CA for the Arts and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation to test a new philanthropic model empowering artists to participate directly in advocacy. Thank you to the Kenneth Rainin Foundation for funding GAAP.? ??Let’s all give a warm welcome to our very first GAAP Cohort! ?? J. K. Fowler Bay Area Book Festival Sabereh Kashi AeJay Antonis Marquis Hope Auerbach Mohr Natalia Neira Retamal Read our full press release: https://lnkd.in/gBDMtwZ8 #artists #artsadvocacy #bayareaartists #CAisCreative #InvestCAArts #CreativeEconomy #culturebearers #culturalworkers #creativeworkers #artsworkers

At CA for the Arts, we believe arts and culture are essential to society’s well-being, deeply rooted in community life, and vital to California’s rich diversity. Through innovative programs and initiatives, we are committed to addressing the challenges facing the arts sector and finding creative solutions to impact the entire industry. Our recent CA for the Arts Field Survey highlighted a pressing need for greater support and allyship, particularly within BIPOC communities. As new models of reimagined leadership and power structures emerge, we are driving systemic change through coalition building, research, and policy development. Affordable housing and workspace, and social safety nets for the self-employed, remain critical priorities for artists. That is why we launched the Artists Housing Working Group in 2023, uniting experts and organizations to develop resources, advocate for policy change, and mobilize collective action. Through the Grassroots Artists Advocacy Program (GAAP), we empower artists to advocate for themselves in alignment with our Vision 2030 Strategic Plan. This six-year plan aims to reshape the inequitable arts ecosystem and elevate intersections between the arts, housing, workforce, health, and climate to foster cultural equity and justice. Help us build a thriving, equitable future. Join CA for the Arts: ??CA for the Arts | Individual: https://lnkd.in/g5ftM-JF ??CA for the Arts | Organization: https://lnkd.in/gXAgWGYG Join CA Arts Advocates:? ?? CA Arts Advocates | Individual: https://lnkd.in/g8PbVEzD ??CA Arts Advocates | Organization: https://lnkd.in/g9WDewdy #ShiftTheParadigm #GrowWithUs #BuildTheMovement #ArtWorkIsRealWork #CAfortheArts #CAArtsAdvocates #SupportArtsAdvocacy

Today, CA for the Arts observes Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) to honor the lives lost to transphobic violence. TDoR began in 1999 as a vigil organized by trans rights activists Gwendolyn Ann Smith, Nancy Nangeroni, and Jahaira DeAlto, in memory of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman tragically murdered in 1998. In 2024, the Trans Legislation Tracker reported 665 anti-trans bills introduced across the United States. These bills target the fundamental rights of trans people, such as access to healthcare, education, legal recognition, and the right to publicly exist. Of these, 45 have been enacted into law, perpetuating anti-trans sentiment and putting trans lives at greater risk. Everyone deserves safety and the freedom to live authentically. Trans Rights are Human Rights! ?????? ????? #transdayofrememberance #tdor2024

In the 5th episode of our Where Art Meets Impact series, “Casemaking for Collaboration: Building Better Bridges,” we hear from Jackie Melendez, Assistant City Manager at the City of Chino, who urges arts and cultural organizations to scale their impact to transform the communities they serve. “How do we do this differently? How do we make it so that 10 years from now, we’re not having the same conversation, that we’re actually impacting people’s lives, and we’re impacting our economy.” Where Art Meets Impact is produced in collaboration with Voices of the Community and the Bay Area Video Coalition, bringing you highlights from our 2nd annual CA Arts & Culture Summit: Art Work is Real Work. To listen to the podcast or watch the video, visit: https://lnkd.in/gBmwuhFP ???We are also broadcasting it on public television and on YouTube. ??:Television BAVC Media's SF Commons: Comcast channels 29 & 76, on-demand Petaluma Community Access:(Comcast channels 26, 27, & 28) AT&T U-Verse: Channel 099 On YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gC2KX28v #ArtsWorkIsRealWork #ACCM2024 #CAisCreative #InvestCAArts #CreativeEconomy #ArtistsR2ndResponders Special thanks to our 2024 Summit Sponsors. Los Angeles Metro Creative West (fromerly WESTAF) Arts Council for Monterey County Association of California Symphony Orchestras THE EVENT HELPER, INC. Create CA Actors' Equity Association CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) California/Nevada Office of Arts & Culture - City of Sacramento Claremont Graduate University Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lange Arts Orange County Milestone Brands, LLC Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Sacramento Alliance for Regional Arts

We’re celebrating! CA for the Arts has received a grant from the Music Man Foundation @themusicmanfoundation. The Strengthening the Sector funds will help us as we work to advance the creative sector through knowledge-building, public awareness campaigns, policy development, and arts advocacy.

What can advocates expect in the year ahead and how can we be prepared for the 2025-26 legislative session? Join in the conversation in our upcoming webinar: “The State of Funding and Legislation for Arts, Culture & Creativity in California” on December 11 @ 12pm PT.? ? The conversation will feature Julie Baker, CEO at CA for the Arts; Alex Torres, Policy Advisor at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schrek and Lobbyist at NIVA CA; and Priscilla Quiroz, Legislative Advocate at Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lange.? ? Since 2020, advocates have rallied to support funding for arts and culture that has gone from unprecedented one-time investments to having to protect budget cuts to ongoing funding. Achievements have been made to build coalitions across the creative sector and to build awareness of the value of arts workers to California communities health and economic prosperity. ? ? At the same time, it has become increasingly clear that California’s creative industries is in a precarious state with wide inequities across the sector due to a lack of sustained investments, access to affordable housing and space, capital and rising costs. With the 2024 election, more than 25% of the CA legislature is new, Federal Funding resources are increasingly uncertain and the California state budget remains unstable. ? This webinar is free with registration, RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/g2gYvNfX Learn More: https://lnkd.in/gHj36nSi ? #ArtsLegislation #CulturalPolicy #CAisCreative #InvestCAArts #CreativeEconomy #ArtsWorkIsRealWork ?

We are hiring an entertainment services program manager who will play a lead role in establishing and managing the newly formed Entertainment Services Division. The position will oversee the permitting of special events, entertainment venues, and commercial filming while helping promote Sacramento as a destination for entertainment activities. This position will work closely with representatives from other departments, event organizers, production teams, and/or venue owners to foster a welcoming environment for safe entertainment activities that enrich Sacramento. The program manager will help develop and implement strategies to streamline processes and create proactive policies that reduce barriers for applicants, while being sensitive to the concerns of the public. #jobs #entertainment #government #sacramento

What can advocates expect in the year ahead and how can we be prepared for the 2025-26 legislative session? Join in the conversation in our upcoming webinar: “The State of Funding and Legislation for Arts, Culture & Creativity in California” on December 11 @ 12pm PT. The conversation will feature Julie Baker, CEO at CA for the Arts; Alex Torres, Policy Advisor at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schrek and Lobbyist at NIVA CA; and Priscilla Quiroz, Legislative Advocate at Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lange. Since 2020, advocates have rallied to support funding for arts and culture that has gone from unprecedented one-time investments to having to protect budget cuts to ongoing funding. Achievements have been made to build coalitions across the creative sector and to build awareness of the value of arts workers to California communities health and economic prosperity. At the same time, it has become increasingly clear that California’s creative industries is in a precarious state with wide inequities across the sector due to a lack of sustained investments, access to affordable housing and space, capital and rising costs. With the 2024 election, more than 25% of the CA legislature is new, Federal Funding resources are increasingly uncertain and the California state budget remains unstable. This webinar is free with registration, RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/g2gYvNfX Learn More: https://lnkd.in/gHj36nSi #ArtsLegislation #CulturalPolicy #CAisCreative #InvestCAArts #CreativeEconomy #ArtsWorkIsRealWork ?